If you are finding the nursery prep to be overwhelming, check out these 7 tips to ease your stress and focus on the basics!

“What is the theme of your nursery?” might be a fun question for some people, but for others, it is enough to induce a panic attack. In truth, the ‘nesting’ instinct takes all of us in different ways. Some people sink into paint colors and artisanal wallpapers, but for many, the nursery is a point of extreme stress. Will your child be ruined forever if you choose a maritime theme instead of jungle animals? Do you need a crib that converts to a toddler bed? Don’t worry. We’re going to walk you through all of this stuff.

1. It’s ok if you DON’T have a nursery. 

Not everyone has the space to make a room for just their baby. That is ok! It really is! In fact, many people who do prep a nursery for their baby don’t wind up using it as much as they might think they will. Please hear this in your heart: It does not make you a bad parent if your kid shares a room with someone else.  One of Emily’s kids slept in the laundry room for the first half of her life before then sharing a room with her sister.  The only thing you really have to prep for your baby is a safe place for them to sleep, be it a Moses basket, a bassinet, or a crib.   If you choose one of the first two options, be aware that your lil babe might grow out of it pretty fast.

2. Know the basics.

A standard nursery consists of four pieces of furniture: a crib, a chair for feeding, a diaper-changing station, and a chest of drawers for clothes and sheets. You can add bookshelves and other elements, but if you have those four things, congratulations, you have a nursery.

3.  Don’t sweat the themes, but DO know that they have their uses.

Themes can be overwhelming, and often they run their course pretty quickly. That means you might have to re-do the room in a couple years when you learn that your kiddo likes trucks not sailboats, or develops a fear of monkeys. 

BUT there are some benefits to a theme. First of all, if you’re having a baby shower, it makes it easier for people to buy you things with a specific style in mind. Second, it makes the room look cohesive without constant work on your part. Think about what kind of a person you are: do you need things to match in order to be comfortable? Does it help you if your space has a certain aesthetic? Then a theme might be right for you.

4. Pick a comfy chair.

If you have a cozy chair in your house that you think will work, you don’t need to buy something new. But you might be spending a LOT of time in that room, rocking your baby in that chair. So pick something that has comfortable arms and a comfortable back. Take price into consideration, and remember it doesn’t have to be labelled as a “nursery” chair. Pick a chair YOU like, that’s easy to keep clean and works in your space.  We love a chair that reclines and has a leg rest that pops up for extra comfort.

5. Think about storage.

If you have a closet in your baby’s room, remember that their clothes will be teeny tiny for quite awhile, so you won’t want to hang things on hangers (unless you buy the teeny tiny hangers). How are you going to store their newborn and 0-3 month clothes? Where are they going to go when you’re done with them? Think about options that work for storing more than one size so you can easily access the next size up. Sometimes a footie pajama will fit at night, and in the morning they’ve grown out of it!

6. Pick items that work for you now, not just in the future.

You will see many ads for convertible items, especially cribs. In some cases, these are money savers, because it means you don’t have to go back and buy a toddler bed when it comes time. But keep in mind that you might be using this crib for several years. You want it to work for you now. Don’t worry too much about the toddler bed option, especially since there will often be toddler beds for sale in your community when you’re ready. 

Having a baby is hard work, so pick pieces that make your life easier now, even if they might have to be changed in the long run. Plus, if you get a convertible bed for your toddler, and you change the crib to the toddler bed only to find at 10pm that your toddler isn’t actually ready, you can’t exactly change it back to a crib on a dime, which makes convertibles less convenient than they initially seem. (Ask us how we know.)

7. Seriously, don’t worry too much.

Remember that whatever space you use, whatever room you pick, the nursery is more for you than it is for the baby. Babies can’t even see very much for the first few months, so the designs on the walls, the paint color, the rug with the bright pattern… all those things are for your enjoyment as much as they are for the baby’s. So pick things that work for you and your life. You’ll be glad you did.